The Marina del Rey Design Control Board received a follow-up presentation on a roadway landscape improvement plan for Marina del Rey and recommended approval of final redevelopment plans for two leaseholds at its April 18 meeting.

Santos Kreimann, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors, announced that John Kelly has been chosen as a deputy director to work with Gary Jones, deputy director of asset management and planning.

Kreimann said that Kelly has a strong structural engineering background, which is needed for Marina projects such as the seawall improvement. “John will transform our visioning process into bricks and mortar, creating tangible asset,” Kreimann said of the former chief building official.

Following input from the control board at its March meeting, representatives of the county Department of Public Works presented a revised improvement detail along Admiralty Way. Removal of a number of diseased trees, primarily Cajeput, along the medians, and replacement with other tree varieties had been discussed at that previous meeting.

The proposed tree alternatives, shrubs, and ground cover for Marina-wide planting areas has been updated with a palette that is more appropriate for existing median dimensions and consistent with the county’s drought-tolerant plant list, staff said. Future planting and replacement trees will consist of native or drought-tolerant species like Manzanita, Bronze Loquat and Strawberry trees, according to staff.

Proposed improvements along the medians throughout Admiralty Way will also include new, enhanced concrete paving and concrete banding in neutral colors. Areas with specific design improvements, or “nodes,” are proposed throughout Admiralty, along pedestrian crossings near Oxford Basin, near the proposed area selected for settlement repair by the Marina City Club, the pedestrian crossing near the fire department, near Burke Park, and near the pedestrian and bicycle crossing by the public library.

All proposed pedestrian crossing improvements will consist of new tactile warning strips and enhanced paving along sidewalks. Native and drought-tolerant plants will also be implemented in the landscaping.

Also at the April 18 board meeting, final redevelopment plan approvals were recommended for the Oceana Retirement Facility, 4220 Admiralty Way, and for Holiday Harbor Courts, 14025 Panay Way.

The proposed Oceana project consists of a new five-story building containing a 114-unit senior living facility, 3,500 square feet of ground level visitor-serving/convenience commercial space, and parking to serve the facility’s employees, residents and their guests. Also included are 92 public parking spaces, which will be separate from the rest of the parking, according to county documentation.

The Holiday Harbor Courts is a complete redevelopment of Parcel 21 with a new commercial building, community park plaza, waterfront promenade and parking structure. The new park and landscaped plaza would be located at the west end of the project site and would provide direct connection between Panay Way and the promenade.

Adjoining the east side of the park is the proposed four-level marine commercial building, which will provide replacement space for the existing retail, marine and health club uses. To the east of the building would be the six-level parking structure, to be constructed partially below grade, with 447 parking spaces for use by the building tenants, and their patrons and slip tenants. In addition, 94 of those spaces would be designated as public parking spaces.

During public comment, local resident and boater Jon Nahhas said, “While it’s nice to have a park, half of the boat slips have been reduced.” He questioned how far elderly boaters would have to carry supplies to their boats if the furthest parking spaces were not close enough.

Nahhas also commented on the Oceana project regarding potential traffic congestion with vehicles transporting residents, and the proximity to a nearby hotel which would also generate traffic. He claimed that having senior housing on public land was age discrimination.